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Hay Park, Bunbury
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Perth bands were out in force with grunge unit Foam opening the Moolin Rouge stage. Opening the V stage was creative powerhouse Timothy Nelson and the Infidels, followed by the tight and progressive Doctopus.
The third act on the stage was fresh Melbourne MC Tkay Maidza, whose apt combination of the thriving Melbourne beat culture and a modern rap aesthetic. Back to the Moolin Rouge stage, Northlane exploded with a hardcore edge. Hailing from Sydney and now rocking stages internationally, Northlane pumped some much needed energy into the space.
The gorgeously soulful musicianship of Melbourne’s Meg Mac was one of the day’s highlights. As beautiful to look at as she can belt out a tune, watching her for the first time you may not know what to expect, but then to hear the captivating sound of her voice was to leave you thinking she does it all so effortlessly.
Sydney Hip Hop supergroup One Day held an obliging crowd in the hands for an energetic set full of funky, feel good mixes and perfectly orchestrated MC’s timed perfectly for an afternoon in the Bunbury sunshine.
Aided by the raw power and attitude of Izzy Manfredi’s vocal stylings, Preatures’ live set laid down the law with a modern definition of rock n roll for a new generation crafting a perfect sound akin to that of Fleetwood Mac , The Divinyls and Doc Neeson’s Angels.
Brisbane five piece indie line-up Ball Park Music lived up to a great reputation for crowd pleasing shows delivering a brooding and enigmatic performance with no shortage of fan favourites proving they are one of the most popular festival bands going around.
UK Mod-Punksters, You Me At Six ignited a loyal fan following in Bunbury bringing with them a crowd moving set direct from sold out shows across the UK, dishing up an on stage mood dripping with emotion and intensity.
Big ticket headliner ASAP Ferg was the punchline to the ridiculous joke that mainstream American hip hop has become. Complete with shirtless vanity revealing a poorly formed series of pectoral muscles, it couldn’t be soon enough that trap inspired, lyrically infantile content becomes a distant memory.
Peaches replaced Ferg on stage, but the vapid populism showed no signs of waning. Lazy electro beats provided a backdrop to formulaic swearing and booty shaking. Apologies to the hopeless fans, but there was very little value in this performance.
Back at the V stage, Hermitude were a beautiful saving grace. Fantastic musicianship paired with wonderfully expressive modern song writing to create one of the more exciting acts in Australia.
The final word on the Moolin Rouge stage must include a discussion on the blatant attempt at this festival to appeal broadly and with little consideration for synergy. RL Grime gave us everything wrong with EDM/Trap with an excruciating hour of quick mixed trill, giving punters barely 30 seconds to fist pump and wobble awkwardly to the same old riddim.
Always vivacious, hard hitting and consistent, it’s no secret that Hilltop Hoods are favouring as top draw cards to any festival that is lucky to have them on the bill. The energy that protrudes from their shows is nothing short of palpable and few Aussie hip hop groups these days are able to harness the sheer momentum from their audience and return the love in such an welcomely invasive way.
JAMES HANLON, ROY MILTON
